Park Nam-ok (Korean: 박남옥; February 24, 1923 – April 8, 2017) was a Korean film director. Park was considered to be the first Korean woman to direct a domestic film in her country. She is best known for her first film, The Widow (Mimang-in), released in March 1955.[1] Park lived in the United States.[2]

Biography

As a young person, Park loved movies and was a fan of actor, Kim Shin-jae.[3] Park attended the Ewha Women's Professional School starting 1943, but dropped out before graduation to work as a reporter in Daegu.[4]

Park worked for the Chosun Film Company, starting in 1945 after Korea's liberation from Japan.[1] She was introduced into the studios by the director, Yoon Yong-kyu, who she knew through a friend.[3] Park was involved as a scripter on the 1947 film, A New Oath, directed by Shin Kyeong-gyun.[4] During the Korean War, she worked on a war film where she met her husband, Lee Bo-ra.[5]

Park shot her film, The Widow, in the winter of 1954 and with her infant child carried on her back.[1] She provided meals for her staff during the shooting of the film.[2] The script was written by her husband, and her sister helped set up a production company, called "Sister Productions" for the film.[5] The Widow, however did not attain commercial success and her directing career was over.[6]

An award, given by the Seoul International Women's Film Festival, is named after her and the first time it was given out was in 2008 to Yim Soon-rye.[7]

Park died on April 8, 2017, at the age of 94 of natural causes at her home in Los Angeles, California.[8]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Yecies & Shim 2016, p. 185.
  2. 1 2 Park, Jung-ho (21 July 2015). "With Dark Film, Korean Director Makes History". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  3. 1 2 "The Widow (Mimang-in)". KOFA. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Director Park Nam-Ok". Seen In Jeonju. 14 November 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  5. 1 2 "The Truth of Korean Movies". KOFA. Archived from the original on 25 May 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Yecies & Shim 2016, p. 186.
  7. ↑ "Int'l Women's Film Festival in Seoul Celebrates 10th Anniversary". HanCinema. 12 March 2008. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  8. ↑ Korea's First Female Director Park Nam Ok Passes Away

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.